National Fraud Enforcement Division(@DOJFraudDiv):.@AAGMcDonald to @Newsmax last night discussing these daycare fraud schemes: “These daycare operators, based on these allegations, pretended to be taking care of children, but there were no children. There were no daycares. They were fake. They were made up, and day after day, month after month, year after year, they sent the bills for these fake children and these fake daycares to the American taxpayer, who paid around $10 MILLION that were attributed to these 12 defendants that we’ve now charged.”

National Fraud Enforcement Division@DOJFraudDiv

2026.09.16 15:14

.@AAGMcDonald to @Newsmax last night discussing these daycare fraud schemes: “These daycare operators, based on these allegations, pretended to be taking care of children, but there were no children. There were no daycares. They were fake. They were made up, and day after day, month after month, year after year, they sent the bills for these fake children and these fake daycares to the American taxpayer, who paid around $10 MILLION that were attributed to these 12 defendants that we’ve now charged.”

National Fraud Enforcement Division@DOJFraudDiv

2026.09.15 19:08

The defendants from this takedown are naturalized U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents originally from Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The map below shows locations of the executed search warrants in this daycare fraud investigation. “These charges underscore a simple truth: anyone who steals from programs meant to support children will face swift and uncompromising accountability,” said @AAGMcDonald. “Fraud against these programs is an attack on vulnerable families, and law enforcement will continue to dismantle schemes that exploit them. I want to thank the prosecutors and agents in the Southern District of California whose relentless work exposed this scheme and ensured that those responsible are being held accountable.” Read more: